“Those, those giants, those enormen,” General Jaelana Nestor scoffed, using the heirs’ pejorative for their new enemies, “thought they could come to our doorstep and scorn the hand of their master. Pfah! This will only show the rest of the islands that we are the true heirs of Ankar. With the battle struck, our ascendance is inevitable.”
The others at the briefing nodded assiduously. Jaelana strode to a map of Testament and its surrounding plains, known locally as the Fields of Inheritance. She started pacing back and forth in front of it, jabbing her finger at the brawnen siege towers throughout the field as she spoke.
“These spires are giving the enormen a constant stream of resources for them to continue their barrage,” she snarled. “We have received reports from the Royal Talons that the brawnen have developed a method for crafting Source bombs directly from the energy drawn from the spires. They are restocking their ammunition in the field. We must send our healthy jousts and harriers to engage the brawnen infantry in a feint. Meanwhile, our hummingers will target the spires. I want the elfinkaze deployed in mass events.”
A humminger captain glanced around to see if any other heirs representing the humminger forces had been called to the briefing. Seeing none, he timidly raised his wingtip.
“Excuse me, your honor, but deploying the amount of elfinkaze needed for mass events at all the spires would deplete what little remains of our supply. We have been analyzing the brawnen’s construction and believe that a single unit or two striking at the base of a spire would be enough to bring them down.”
His suggestion was berated and ignored, but after the briefing, the captain was found by one of Jaelana’s lieutenants, Darb Perchet.
“Ultimately, the general will not care how you take those spires as long as you do take them out,” Darb whispered. “If you think you can do it without using as many elfinkaze, then talk it over with your men and get it done.”
